Manchester City are preparing to host Paris Saint-Germain in a Champions League fixture on Wednesday, a match that is being highlighted as an illustration of the growing influence of state ownership in football. The encounter comes after PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, in his role as chair of European Football Clubs (EFC), recently expressed support for City, calling CEO Ferran Soriano "very honest."
This backing from Al-Khelaifi, who also sits on the EFC board with Soriano, adds a layer of geopolitical intrigue, particularly given past tensions between the clubs linked to the Gulf blockade. Both City and PSG, as the first two European clubs owned by foreign states, have previously faced issues, including breaching financial rules and later avoiding more severe penalties due to technicalities.
The match is set against a backdrop of wider questions about the future of football and who is shaping it, with some suggesting that the risks of state ownership, long warned about, have now materialised. The influence of states like Abu Dhabi and Qatar, who own City and PSG respectively, is seen as a significant factor in the sport's current landscape.